1. Community
  2. Men's health
  3. Penis Disorders

Blotchy red rash/irritated skin on penile head (lasted for over 3 moths now)?

Posted , 410 users are following.

Jason1327
Jason1327

Part of the skin on the head of my penis has become slightly red and is causing some pain/irritation.

It first appeared the day after I used a condom so I think I must have had a reaction to the latex or some other substance in the condom.

The tip of the penis became super sensitive and noticeably hurt whenever it touched my underwear.

The skin was and still is noticeably red close to and directly around the meatus. This redness gets worse and bigger after I've come out the shower or masturbated.

An hour or so after ejaculation, I get a slight burn/irritation at the very end of the urethra when I urinate and this can last for a few days before subsiding. This has put me off from masturbating as much now.

This has lasted for about 3 months now with no signs of improvement.

I saw a doctor and was prescribed timodine/hydrocortisone cream and this didn't have much effect and am slightly worried it may just make things worse so have stopped using it for now.

It almost seems as if the redness comes from within the skin rather than on the surface.

I don't think its balanitis as I haven't had that for over 12 years when I was a kid and that was with the usual smegma discharge etc, whereas this is just redness. 

I've attached images to show how it looks straight after showering, which is when the redness is at its worst and the contrast between the normal skin colour and the redness can be clearly seen.

16 likes, 1576 replies

1576 Replies

Prev Next
  • juan47952
    juan47952 Jason1327

    Posted

    Seems like ive exhausted all options. Ive tried over 10 different creams,antifungals, antibacterial everything you can think of. Ive seen 4 urologists. 2 dermatologists. Did a swab test came back negative. No std, did the panel 3 times. Going on almost 2 years.I decided Im going to get a circumsision in March. Doctors said it will fix my problem.Theres a constant redness in my penis, it comes and goes but its usually there. No discharge no pain. They say its recurrent balanitis which i believe it is from pictures i have seen.

  • enno
    enno Jason1327

    Edited

    Okay so ive made alot of progress here dudes. Timodine didnt work, including all of the other creams I tried. So heres some tips to get ya sausage healthy, dont try all at once or you could do yourself some damage, but obviously some of them are okay to be combined.

    • Firstly, stop masturbating for as long as you can, this keeps the rash from being aggravated.
    • Air that b***h out whenever you get chance. Just lay in bed for a good 5 - 10 mins butt naked with the foreskin pulled back. waft it with a hand fan as well.
    • Ive been taking organic Ginger, Garlic and Cinnamon (separate tablets but all at once) tablets this seemed to help most.
    • E45 Cream once in the morning and once at night seemed to take the rash down and soothe itching etc.
    • If E45 doesn't work try Cetraben, same goes once in the morning once at night. dont put too much cream on though, only a small amount is needed (same goes for E45).
    • Fill a cup with 1-2 teaspoons of Himalayan salt and bathe your dude for 3 mins morning and night.
    • Taking ibuprofen before applying the cream. This will help with swelling and let the creams or salt work their magic.

    Hope this helps! Peace

    • li61768
      li61768 enno

      Posted

      What is the theory behind ginger, garlic, and cinnamon helping?

  • andy9080
    andy9080 Jason1327

    Posted

    Hi,

    I wrote I while ago about the benefits of almond oil or coconut oil.

    It is being 7 months that I have been with these condition and I have learned few more things:

    1. Certain humidity triggers the problem.
    2. Shower or water is not a problem but leaving it humid is.
    3. Masturbation is not a problem but the liquid that comes after triggers the problem a LOT*
    4. Do the combo water+dry with a towel . It should help as much as the oils.
    5. Do water and dry specially after masturbation. 1 min, 5 min, and 10 minutes after.
    6. Oils help because they avoid the bad water-humid situation, but the towel do just the same.
    7. I have been for months using oils until I realize that dry it brings the same results and seems healthier.
    8. Keeping the foreskin up is unpractical, just clean with abundant water and dry the whole area.

    NOTES:

    -I am uncircumcised.

    -It comes back / reddish every 3-5 days.

    -It itches when gets reddish, and it looks like tiny bumps if you look really closely. I believe the itching comes in part for the irritation, since water and dry it reduces it.

    -I had a growing lactose intolerance for the last two years and I am considering if it is all guts related, but I can not assure. I will keep testing things.

    -I had a sexual encounter two weeks before it started but the girl had/has no symptoms, however it is still my top reason on the list.

    • Test for STD; negative. A dermatologist test for fungus and similar; negative. Never test for Herpes or HPV just because nothing point at it.

    -The reddish on the foreskin matches the reddish on the gland when folded. See photo.

    • I have seen three doctors and a dermatologist. Two doctors gave it no importance, the third one sent me to the dermatologist since could see a 'reddish day', the dermatologist test for fungus and nothing came back. She sent me home saying that nothing bad goes back and forth. Quite disappointed but I guess there is some truth on that.

      -I will try more doctors with more info and better images, etc.

    I have learn to live with it, as disappointing as it sounds, I agree with the dermatologist that it is not something serious. I will keep my research anyway.

    I attach fotos from different days / months.

    *Our body keeps segregating natural lubricant after ejaculation (1-10 min). Than liquid triggers irritation. Make sure to clean with water and dry right after and then about 5-10 min after the first clean.

    imageimageimage

    • toby_18315
      toby_18315 andy9080

      Posted

      HI mate,

      Great post thanks for taking the time to write in detail, I have been on this thread for years and had the issue for even longer, I have posted many times but of late have accepted that this is something that is going to stay with me for life.

      I agree 100% with everything you've said and my symptoms are exactly the same. I have had every test multiple times including a biopsy. All returns normal, with the biopsy showing some mild keratoses or thickening of the skin, concluded to be caused by inflammation from irritation. I have also tried every cream/oil/medication known with no improvement.

      Like you i have found that regular washing and drying has been the best in managing it. I pee allot and also noticed a small amount of leakage sometimes minutes after so i am always on that making sure to clean it away. I've noticed when i forget that the itchy discomfort under the skin starts to return. Its far from clear but it is better than it has been for a while.

      Also I can confirm i have crohns and firmly believe this all began from my gut issues which rule my life in many ways. I havent worked out exactly how but the fact that the two issues began around the same time and both linger on points to this for me.

      Above all i have accepted the issue will stay with me and this had reduced my anxiety over time, I've had to let it go and that has helped massively too. I have had so many tests I know it is not anything to worry about.

      Obviously I would recommend people follow the correct channels and have the correct testing as i dont believe everyone on here has the same issue but if you keep hitting dead ends like me then this mans advice is simple but affective!

    • andy9080
      andy9080 toby_18315

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply Toby.

      I agree with you. I will keep searching anyway, specially within gut related topics and nutrition.

      I have also learned to forget about it most of the time. It helped a tone to learn that the simple praxis like the ones I described before are enough to keep things simple and under control.

      If you don't mind, can I ask you:

      Did you had sex during these years with the condition?

      If so, did the partners got affected in some way?

      Did you tried avoiding coffee, or dairies, cheese, sugars, etc... for more than a month? (I want to target some those foods)

      I will try, and let you know if something change.

      Thanks and stay strong 😉

    • toby_18315
      toby_18315 andy9080

      Posted

      Hi Andy,

      Sure no worries, yes I have had this condition for over 6 years now and have had several partners during that time. There has been no health concerns for any partner and in fact it has become apparent that what appears as an obvious ugly redness to me is barely noticeable to them. At first I avoided sexual contact and had massive anxiety about it but there has to come a point when, after multiple tests and confirmation of negative results from various physicians, you have to accept it is ok, that the doctors know more than you do, and just move on.

      Having Crohn's I have experimented with avoidance of various foods at different times and haven't noticed any specific improvements down below. From what I have done it felt more like 6 months off a particular food would be a better test, I just don't feel that short term, ie 1 month has much effect. The body needs time to process internally and rid of the toxins etc and then settle before positive side affects kick in. Thats my observation from my own dietary experiments that are still ongoing.

      Good luck and like you should I find something that has a positive affect I will be sure to post.

      Cheers,

    • Mr_Jim
      Mr_Jim toby_18315

      Posted

      Interestingly enough I'm being referred for tests for an autoimmune issues, the thoughts being either Sjogren's, Crohns or Psoriasis. I actually think it's Sjogren's, mainly due to my ongoing intermittent red eyes and dry lips. My issues on my penis started with what looked like Psoriasis, but then turned my skin very dry painful, particularly around my scar tissue (circumcised).

      My issues were all triggered from a bacterial infection, made worse by the prolonged course of antibiotics. I have HSV, which also hasn't helped.

      My advice to you all is go ask to be checked for an autoimmune condition. The problems largely point to our bodies not being able to self-repair.

    • tony57757
      tony57757 toby_18315

      Posted

      hi Toby and Andy! much thanks for both your advices on this issue. i recently started getting this condition and as you would know it, i'm freaking out about it and went to a sexual health clinic for a check up. everything was fine, and the doctor just said to me to continue using Dakatcort(an anti fungual cream with some hydrocortisone) for about 1-2 days and i'll be fine. i used to have balanitis because i literally washed my penis woth soap after masturbation and sex. from being too clean, i got balanitis. anyway, just wanted to thank you guys for your advice, it has helped me to calm down alittle. but i have an interesting question to ask you guys if you dont mind. after masturbation, is using just water to clean the penis sufficient? i kind of get the sticky sticky feeling still. just wonder how you boys usually clean it after. cheers once again, and i hope we all find solutions or even recover from it soon

  • BigDaddyShane
    BigDaddyShane Jason1327

    Posted

    Not sure why so many replies are being deleted by the moderator. This discussion is to figure out what this is, what causes it and how to cure it, but a lot of times people will post what is working for them and boom... it gets deleted. Why?

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.